Juneteenth National Independence Day commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The holiday is celebrated on June 19, the anniversary of the 1865 order by Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informing enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, of their freedom.
The news came two months after the Confederacy had surrendered and about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the Southern states. Now Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021, is celebrated locally and internationally and by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
"Abbott Elementary" actor Sheryl Lee Ralph spent Sunday at Philadelphia's Juneteenth Parade and Festival.
